The present invention relates to the field of educational tools generally, and specifically to educational tools for individuals with limited ability to read.
Computer technology has become ubiquitous in our society. Computers are increasingly used in the workplace, in the home and at schools. Many applications for computer technology exist which increase productivity by performing, with minimal intervention or direction, a number of repetitious mechanical tasks that are a necessary part of the more complex tasks which are performed every day in our society.
To effectively interact with a computer application using either keyboard or a graphical user interface (GUI), a user must have a good working knowledge of the natural language used in the interface of the applications. Persons who cannot read a to language, either because they do not yet possess the necessary basic skills due to their age or development, or because they are not familiar with the natural language in its graphical form, are at a disadvantage using this type of a user interface.
Graphical user interfaces for some types of programs, both in commercial and educational applications, have attempted to fill this gap by providing selection based on the first letter of a word or by using a letter-based menu selection system to advance through a set of words. In response to a selected letter, these systems may display a group of words having the same first letter. An example of the former is the Index function in the Help menu of the Microsoft Excel(copyright) spreadsheet program.
While this type of interface does make these applications somewhat more accessible to individuals who are unfamiliar with the orthography of a language, it is not sufficient to allow one with some language skills but little or no orthographic knowledge to effectively use the application.
When a literate adult reader looks at text, he or she may scan, or visually xe2x80x9cnavigatexe2x80x9d the text. For example, when looking at a newspaper, one may navigate a page, and select an article to read because of titles, headings, bylines, bold, italicized, or other special words that catch the eye, and were typically written intentionally to catch the eye. Additionally, a literate adult reader, after noticing emphasized words (or for any other reason), may elect to read adjacent words or any particular word. On the other hand, when a pre-literate child looks at text, he or she is typically capable of the same navigation: special words will catch the eye and be noticed, and the child may further elect to look at an adjacent (or other) word. But the similarity ends there, because although he or she may notice the same special words, these words cannot be read. Thus, a pre-literate child, an individual with no or minimal understanding of a language in its orthographic form (but knowledge of the language in its spoken form), or an individual with certain impairments, may not have even a clue as to the contents of a textual passage. They can see the indicators, but can not understand them. If a child were to be given this ability, worlds of information would become available. The ability to distinguish the emphasized from the normal is there; giving children the ability to exploit this distinction changes everything. The present invention provides this ability.
It provides pervasive and immediate articulation of virtually all textual elements in response to a comparatively passive action, such as a selection device rollover, which creates a paradigm, that, rather than point-and-click, may be thought of as point, receive feedback, select. Point-and-click basically presumes that the user can read, and is aware of the selection before moving a pointing device to a selection. This technique provides children in particular, as well as others with limited textual knowledge of a language, or an impairment, the ability to peruse with their ears what readers peruse with their eyes.
The present invention is embodied in a method for the auditory navigation of displayed text. According to this method, a plurality of words are displayed including at least one unit of contiguous text. Next, the method receives a first indication of a first word of the plurality of words, the first word being contained within a at least one unit of contiguous text. Responsive to the first indication, the method produces an auditory signal corresponding to a recitation of the first unit of contiguous text. The method receives a second indication of a second word of the plurality of words, the second word being contained within the at least one unit of contiguous text. Responsive to the second indication, the method produces an auditory signal corresponding to the pronunciation of the second indicated word.